Daily Bible Study

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Day 4 Ezekiel 4 Ezekiel 4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: 2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. 3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. 4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. 7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. 8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. 9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. 10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. 11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. 12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that comes out of man, in their sight. 13 And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. 14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! Behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. 15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. 16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: 17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. Have you felt like you’re under siege, everyone and everything was against you? You might call it getting up on the wrong side of the bed. It might last one day – every light was against you going to your destination. You might have been overly clumsy. Your work didn’t go the way you expected. And then to top it off you get stopped by the police and get a ticket for something other than speeding, and you receive an unexpected bill in the mail, or your car broke down, or an appliance, and you hoped it would end and your life would return to normal. Or perhaps your life has gone through a series of situations, one after the other, and you hoped and prayed your bad luck would end and you would see some good. God told Ezekiel to draw a siege against Israel by making an illustration for the people on tile. After setting up tile of Israel he was to lie on his left side for 390 days, a day for each year. Then he was to do the same against Judah, only for forty days, a day for a year. Engraving a siege on tile, indicated that Israel and Judah were engraved on the palms of God’s hands. He cared for them and loved them as little children. However, as a loving Father, they would not go unpunished for their disobedience. Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (KJV) From the time Jeroboam became king of Israel at the division of the country, to their exile, was 390 years. From the moment they found the book of the law during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah, until their captivity, was forty years. God showed Israel and Judah he would bring them into account for their sin. God implemented his law against his people. They paid for their sin when God sent them into exile. As Christians, you know the consequences for sin. You also know God’s love for you, when he sent Jesus to be your Savior. You also know you are held secure in the hands of Jesus, who is in the hands of God. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. (KJV) Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV) Israel and Judah paid for their disobedience when God sent them into exile. Jesus paid for our disobedience through his blood, shed on Calvary’s cross. His death, burial, and resurrection was the only way we would break the chains of our captivity to Satan. God told the people there was always a consequence to disobedience, when he gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. His people knew the consequences for their behavior, yet continued to sin, relying on his love for them, no matter what they did against him. Parents don’t like punishing their children for their disobedience, yet they do so because they love their children. God loves you, and will not allow you to continue to sin against him, and will bring trouble against you until you realize and examine your life, and confess your sin, and return to the God who loves you as a loving Father. Let’s pray: Father, when trouble comes my way, help me to examine my life to see where I have sinned and confess it to you, and receive your forgiveness which leads to a right relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 22 December 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay